Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has urged the people of Nigeria to stop merely criticising public officials and start actively participating in governance by bringing attention to issues impacting their areas.
While addressing a variety of problems related to administration and public expectations in Abuja at his customary monthly press briefing on Monday, Wike made the appeal.
He claims that government officials rely heavily on citizen feedback to pinpoint service delivery gaps and areas that need improvement, because they are not all-knowing. Both the public and leaders have a role to play in ensuring good government, he emphasised.
While it is acceptable and even vital to criticise government activities, the minister pointed out that criticism is more effective when it is supported by concrete recommendations that can direct decision-making and changes to policies.
He urged his countrymen to stop pointing fingers and start offering solutions that could enhance the results of government.
Many problems, as Wike pointed out, remain because those in charge aren’t necessarily aware of them while they’re happening on the ground. His main point was that people’s opinions matter to governments since they are usually the ones closest to the action, thus they can see and report problems firsthand.
“You can draw our attention to issues. You can make suggestions to the government. The government does not know everything; I am human,” he said during the briefing.
Public leaders are unable to address issues of which they are unaware, he continued, highlighting the need of constructive interaction over broad criticism. He believes that part of being a responsible citizen is bringing issues to the attention of the proper authorities so that they can be addressed.
